5.
8 STRAW BALE 157 material use
Straw Bale
Straw has been used as a building material
for centuries, for both thatch roofing and
also mixed with earth in cob and wattle and
daub walls. Straw bales were first used for
building over a century ago by settlers in
Nebraska, USA, shortly after the invention
of baling machines.
Straw is derived from grasses and is regarded
as a renewable building material since its
primary energy input is solar and it can be
grown and harvested.
Straw is the springy tubular stalk of grasses
like wheat and rice that are high in tensile
strength. It is not hay, which is used for feeding
livestock and includes the grain head. Straw is
composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignins,
and silica. It breaks down in soil and waste
straw can be used as mulch. Different grasses
have slightly different qualities, for instance rice
straw has a significant amount of silica, which
adds density and resistance to decomposition.
Straw bale walls are surprisingly resistant to
fire, vermin and decay. Australian straw bales
have two strings (American how-to books often
show 3-string bales) and are typically 900mm
long x 450mm wide and between 350 and
400mm high and weigh 16 to 20 kg.
Performance Summary
Appearance
Finished straw bale walls are invariably
rendered with cement or earth so that the straw
is not visible. The final appearance of rendered
straw bale can be very smooth and almost
indistinguishable from rendered blockwork,
or it can be more expressive and textural.
There is a project in London, England, for
instance, that made straw bales visible in the
completed construction by placing them behind
corrugated acrylic cladding.
Straw bales in the city. There is no location that straw
bale building cannot adapt to.
Structural capability
The structural capacity of straw bale
construction is surprisingly good. In the
load-bearing (‘Nebraska’ style) straw bale
method, walls of up to three storeys have
been constructed, but straw bale construction
commonly uses a frame for the building
structure. Most buildings require a frame of
timber or steel to comply with current building
codes. [See: 5.5 Construction Systems]
There are now several examples of multi-storey
buildings in framed straw bale construction,
including three houses with two storeys of
straw bale wall in the City of Adelaide.
Thermal mass
Straw bales themselves have very low thermal
mass, being composed, by volume, mostly of
air. However, the cement and earth renders
typically used on straw bales results in finished
walls having some appreciable thermal mass
in the thin masonry ‘skins’ either side of the
insulated straw core. With the use of earthen
renders a thick render skin of up to 75mm can
be achieved, providing significant thermal mass.
[See: 4.9 Thermal Mass]
Insulation
Straw bales demonstrate excellent insulative
properties, in fact possibly the most cost
effective thermal insulation available.
[See: 4.7 Insulation]
Inch for inch, or centimetre for centimetre, straw
has a similar insulation value to fibreglass batts.
The insulation value of a straw bale wall greatly
exceeds that of any conventional construction.
All straw bale buildings demonstrate excellent
insulation characteristics and the design goal
in any structure must be to complement the
insulation performance with the performance
of the rest of the building. Thus, it is essential
to insulate roofs and windows to maintain the
overall performance of a straw bale building.
[See: 4.10 Glazing]
Sound insulation
Straw bales also provide the most cost-
effective sound insulation available. Dollar for
dollar, the overall insulation value of a straw bale
wall greatly exceeds that of any conventional
construction.
The effect of sound insulation contributes to
the livability of this kind of construction and can
be quite marked. Even walking into the space
created by an unfinished straw bale structure,
one can appreciate the quietness and hear
the difference compared with conventional
buildings. [See: 2.7 Noise Control]
Fire resistance
Straw bales are tightly packed and covered
with a skin of cement render. Fire can’t burn
without oxygen, and the dense walls provide a
nearly airless environment, so the fire resistance
of compacted straw is very good. Conclusive
evidence of its good fire resisting performance
can be found in laboratory fire tests conducted
at the Richmond Field Station in 1997 by
students at University of California Berkeley.
These rated a straw-bale wall at two hours.
Straw bale homes survived Californian bush
fires that destroyed conventional structures.
[See: 3.5 Bushfires]
 material use 158
A fire that was started in the Whyalla Buddhist’s
straw bale building did not take hold, as it
would have in a conventional structure, and
the damage caused was repaired and the cost
covered by insurance. Tests undertaken on
behalf of AUSBALE and the South Australian
fire authority in July 2002 on rendered straw
bales (earth, lime and cement) resulted in a two
hour fire rating. These tests are likely to be used
to establish a formal value of fire resistance for
building approval purposes nationwide.
Straw bales can burn but the potential for fire
to take hold can be minimized. It is important
to try and cap walls by continuing render
over the top of the bales and plates so that
an inadvertent flue effect does not support
combustion by bringing in air to fuel the fire.
Straw bale structures are likely to attract
interest. Sometimes that interest is not positive
and it is wise to maintain vigilance during
construction and to ensure that loose straw and
sawdust or other combustibles are not left in or
around the structure at any time. Some trades
use fire, such as oxy cutters and welders.
Special care should be taken to manage
activities that are of high fire risk.
Jane Stafford
A low cost owner built straw bale home in the country.
Vermin resistance
A completed wall has excellent resistance to
vermin, but it is important to prevent infestation
of mice during construction when the bales are
relatively unprotected. In virtually all straw bale
construction any exposed straw is coated with
plaster or render which is usually adequate to
keep animals out, and if they do manage to get
inside, densely packed straw makes it hard for
them to navigate through the space. During
construction, consider using traps and baits
to ensure the finished structure is sound and
vermin-free.
Durability and
moisture resistance
Provided the straw is reasonably well protected
and is not allowed to become waterlogged
it can last many years with moderate
maintenance. Indeed, it is reasonable to expect
that straw bale buildings can have a lifetime of
100 years or more.
5.8 STRAW BALE
Jane Stanford
The most detrimental factor affecting straw
bale wall durability is long term or repeated
exposure to water.  Given enough moisture and
two to three weeks, the fungi in bales produce
enzymes that break down straw cellulose.  hundreds of kilometres. This can add significant
But for this to occur the straw moisture content
must be high (above 20 per cent by weight).
Straw bale walls should not exceed a moisture
content of 15 per cent. Reasonable and
sensible precautions against water penetration
during construction, such as covering otherwise
unprotected walls with tarpaulines, make it
unlikely that water damage will be a problem
in most building programs. The best way to
prevent rot in a finished structure is to create
a breathable straw bale wall and the success
and survival of historic structures in Nebraska
and Alabama demonstrate the durability of
straw bale structures in climates with variable
moisture and temperature.
Toxicity and breathability
The natural materials of straw bale construction
are safe and biodegradable, unlike conventional
construction, which is replete with artificial
materials and toxic fumes. No toxic fumes are
released when straw burns and there is no toxic
end to the straw bale construction cycle. Straw
bale walls have good breathability allowing
air to slowly permeate the structure without
moisture penetration. Earthen and some earth-
lime renders may allow walls to ‘breathe’ better
than cement render, especially compared with
renders that have a high cement to sand ratio.
Environmental impacts
Straw is a waste product, it cannot be used
for feed, like hay, and much of it is burned at
the end of the season. Using straw for building
reduces air pollution and stores carbon. The
straw left over from building can be used as
mulch so that, overall, there is minimal waste
from using the material. [See: 5.3 Waste
Minimisation]
With grasses able to grow on almost any
land, there is a high level of renewable
material content in straw bales. They are
biodegradable and have a growing cycle of
one year. To be truly sustainable in the long
term, straw would need to be grown in such
a way that it maintained the soil quality and
ecological integrity of its provenance. [See:
5.4 Biodiversity Off-site]
The fertilisers and pesticides often used as
part of industrial farming practices increase
the overall environmental impact of straw, as
does the use of twine made from petroleum
products.
Straw bales are inherently low in embodied
energy but most are produced by fossil-fueled
machinery, they are tied together by plastic
twine and may end up being transported over
amounts of embodied energy to what is a
fundamentally low energy material. Straw bale
walls are often laid on concrete footings that
add further to the intrinsic energy cost of their
construction.
Using straw for building stores carbon that
would otherwise be released. The greenhouse
gas emissions associated with straw bales
is very low. One tonne of concrete requires
more than 50 times the amount of energy in its
manufacture than straw. [See: 5.1 Material Use
Introduction]
Jane Stanford
Buildability, availability and cost
Straw bale construction rates highly
for buildability because it can be very
straightforward and is well suited to workshop
and volunteer based building programs. As
a result there have been many volunteer and
workshop-based bale-raisings overseas and
around Australia. There is a very active and
informed international network of straw balers
that constantly explores ways to improve and
quantify bale building technology. In 2002 a
non-profit association Ausbale was formed.
Its members can provide excellent access to
the best information available in straw bale
building techniques and performance.
 5.8 STRAW BALE 159 material use

The general availability of straw bales is good,
with many settled parts of Australia being
within an hour or so of wheat or rice straw
supplies. Straw bale is a low cost material
but requires labor-intensive construction
techniques. Straw bale construction can be
very low cost provided the labour input is also
low cost. Projects that can guarantee some
volunteer or workshop-based construction
can guarantee cost savings. Straw bale cost
savings can be used to offset other costs. In
South Australia, a large, detached dwelling,
with a high standard of fittings and finishes
and built entirely via conventional building
contractual arrangements, cost the same as if
The vertical and horizontal stability of straw bale
walls generally needs to be guaranteed by tying
bales to structural frames or pinning between
bales and structural elements, however there
is a growing consensus that the extensive use
of reinforced steel bars and excessive pinning
that characterised early straw bale construction
is not necessary and as a result modern straw
baling practice is more material and resource
efficient.
Bales are laid like giant bricks and, as with
bricks, it is preferable to interlock the bales for a
stronger and more stable wall, whether or not it
is load-bearing.

Paul Downton
it were in double brick, but had a much better,
cost saving thermal performance. Typical details
All structural design should be prepared by a
competent person and may require preparation
Framed construction provides more design
or checking by a qualified engineer. Qualified
freedom for wall and opening placement – in
professionals, architects and designers provide
the example a large two storey bay structure
years of experience and access to intellectual
with a partly cantilevered floor construction can
property that has the potential to save house
be easily achieved that would not be possible
builders time and money as well as help ensure
in the same way in a load bearing straw bale
environmental performance.
structure.
Paul Downton

Footings Load bearing walls

Ladder frame being filled with pea gravel prior to
frame and bale placement.
Typical Domestic
Construction
Construction process
The various straw bale construction methods
are all variations on ways of achieving
good compression of the bales to minimise
settlement and movement.
Bales should be well compacted and have a
moisture content not exceeding 15 per cent
and below 10 per cent is preferable. Straw
bales should not get wet inside but wetting the
sides should not be a problem. Straw does
not wick water into itself like concrete. If rain
is driven into the sides of bales, the natural
movement of air or wind around the bales is
able to dry them out and this cycle of wetting
and drying does not damage the bale.
Whilst footings are being prepared, work can
proceed on other aspects of the building.
A straw bale wall requires footings with a
similar load carrying capacity to that required
for a masonry wall, although a straw wall is
generally much lighter (one mud brick weighs
about the same as a straw bale). The footings
used are usually concrete strips or slabs to
make compliance with engineering and building
codes easier. There have been successful
experiments with rubble trench and rubber
tyre footings and there are several straw bale
buildings in Australia built on piers, bearers and
joists. As with mud bricks, the non-load bearing
option means a roof structure can be raised
in advance of the walls to provide a protected
environment for building works. [See: 5.7 Mud
Brick]
Paul Downton
The earliest straw bale buildings of over a
century ago were load bearing. Australian
straw bale experts recommend a maximum
wall height of 2.5m when using standard sized
bales. Bales for load bearing construction
should ideally have tighter strings than normal.
Load-bearing straw bale construction employs
relatively simple techniques that are forgiving to
novice builders and yet have sufficient flexibility
to allow the creation of design features such as
curved walls. Its limitations are that openings
for windows and doors should not exceed 50
per cent of any given wall surface area and the
maximum unbraced wall length is about 6m.
Bales should be laid like bricks in a ‘running
bond’. Corners should allow for at least a
full bale return in each direction to assist in
providing strength and stability. After the walls
are laid they have to be pre-compressed before
taking any structural loads. There are a variety
of methods for achieving this but the most
popular and practical method is grippling.
Grippling involves running 2.5mm high tensile
fencing wire vertically around the bale walls
every 450mm. The wires are run through a

Construction can be speeded up by making
frames and ‘bucks’ in advance of site works.
Ladder frame bottom compression plates being
bolted to concrete slab through ant-cap damp course
showing recycled irrigation hose for sleeving high
tensile wire through pea gravel base.
bottom ‘plate’ (generally a ladder –frame timber
structure secured to the footings) and over a
top plate (which may be similar or as simple as
a plank of wood). The gripples are proprietary
soft metal clamps that hold the wires in tension.
They were invented for fencing use and are
readily available with the associated specialist
tools through fencing suppliers.
 material use 160 5.8 STRAW BALE

Early experiments in bale building involved

excessive vertical reinforcement to tie bales to
footings and to each other. Good results with
better economy in materials can be achieved
without reinforced steel bars and the vertical
spiking of bales is largely unnecessary when the
wire and grippling method is used.

Like giant bricks, straw bales need to be cut to

fit into wall lengths, the fewer cuts the better.
Walls should be designed in straw bale length
modules and heights should be calculated from
working out straw bale dimensions and allowing
for compression of 50-75mm per single storey

Paul Downton
height of bales.

Slicing a bale requires that it is first ‘sewn’ at

the desired finished length, then the original
twine is cut. The idea is to produce two short
bales with the same compression as the

original, held by new sets of twine. The cutting
and trimming of bales can be done with hand
tools, but the most popular and effective
method is to use a chain saw with a blade
length of at least 400mm.
Paul Downton
Framework and posts can be constructed
off-site and the frame can allow a roof to be
constructed in advance of the wall raising,
providing shelter during the wall construction
process. Bales are trimmed for openings and can be cut to fit
structural members.

Joints and connections

Straw bale walls can be joined to almost
any construction provided attention is paid
to flashing details. When one material joins
another there must always be care taken to
ensure that there is no passage for moisture
penetration and that any differential movement
is accommodated. A competent architect or
designer can assist greatly in this regard.
The roof timbers or steel members can spring
from the columns (particularly in the case of
steel) or bear on wallplates. It is recommended
Paul Downton
Openings
Windows, doors and other openings in straw
bale walls generally have to be placed within
a frame designed to withstand compression
loads, unless the window or door frames are
themselves strong enough to do the job. These
frames are sometimes called ‘bucks’. With
bucks to resist distortion, almost any kind of
window or door can be set into a straw wall,
‘floating’ in the bales or tied to frames. Until the
walls have undergone final compression, bucks,
window and door frames must have adequate

that roofs have considerable overhang in order temporary cross-bracing.

The middle plate and vertical compression wires can
be seen in this detail of a timber framed three storey
straw bale townhouse.
to provide some protection to walls from driving
rain. In more sheltered areas this requirement is
less vital, but care must be taken to provide a
good quality render and waterproofing finish.

Fixings
Frames
It is possible to fix substantial loads to load
Although it is possible to build strong and bearing and non-load bearing straw bale walls
Paul Downton

effective single storey straw bale structures,
it is often easier to ensure Code compliance
and predictable engineering outcomes if the
straw bale walls are constructed as in-fill
elements between load bearing frames. Non-
load bearing straw bale walls are very similar to
load bearing but are generally more complex
and have to be connected to the frames within
which they sit. The frames allow more freedom
in the design and placement of openings
and a running bond is not as essential as it is
with load bearing walls. Pre-compression is
still necessary to avoid future problems with
settling of the bales over time.
by forming clamps made from planks of timber
on either side of the bales, tied through the wall
with high tensile wire and tensioned by grippling
or twisting. Other methods for fixing such things
as shelves and kitchen cupboards simply use
elements connected to the load bearing frame.
With cement rendered interior skins that are a
nominal minimum of 30mm thick, it is possible
to hang pictures and other items off plugged
holes in the thin masonry skin.
Window set towards outside face of wall.
It is best to set any frames with their faces flush
to the outside face of a wall to improve weather
protection. This also makes a deeper ‘reveal’
to the interior, opening up possibilities for
deep interior sills, window seats and angled or
sculpted surrounds to the openings that can do
much to improve overall daylighting qualities.
[See: 6.3 Lighting]

It is very important to weather proof all window
openings that are exposed to direct rainfall. This
can be done using standard flashing materials
and methods.
Niches can be cut into straw bale walls in
almost any position or formation provided care
is taken not to cut into the twine that binds the
bales together.
Paul Downton
Finishes
There are three main kinds of render used in
Australian straw bale construction: cement and
sand, lime putty and sand; and earthen render
(sometimes incorporating lime). Final finishes
on cement renders can range from clear, acrylic
based water repellents to traditional coloured
lime wash. Cement renders can be finished with
a lime putty render topcoat. The three layers
of render should be progressively weaker to
reduce the potential for cracking caused by
having too brittle an external layer. Earth renders
are gaining popularity as concerns about their
effectiveness have been addressed. The main
advantages of using earthen renders are to do
with minimising environmental impact and time
spent in preparation and application. Advice
should be sought from experienced straw bale
builders wherever possible.
Paul Downton
5.8 STRAW BALE 161 material use
Paul Downton
Paul Downton
ADDITIONAL READING
Amazon Nails (2001), Information Guide to Straw
Bale Buildings for Self Builders and the Construction
Industry, Amazon Nails Todmorden, UK. 
The final render finish can be applied directly to
the face of a straw bale wall, particularly with B EDP Environment Design Guide
earth renders. Before any render is applied PRO 12 Straw Bale Construction.
the final compression of the walls must be  ray T and Hall A (2000), Straw Bale Home Building,
G
achieved. The usual method is to fix chicken Earth Garden, Trentham, Victoria.
wire to the wall surfaces to be rendered by
 uff N Puff Straw Bale Constructions
H
sewing lighter gauge wire (1.5mm) through the www.glassford.com.au
walls at approximate 450mm centres and by
pinning with staples made from medium L acinski P and Bergeron M (2000), Serious Straw
gauge wire (2mm). Bale: a home construction guide for all climates,
Chelsea Green, Vermont.
 agwood C and Mack P (2000), Straw Bale
M
Things to watch out for Building: how to plan, design and build with straw,
New Society, Canada.
It is important to keep bales dry during storage
and construction and to try and eliminate S teen A and Steen B (2000), The Beauty of Straw
vermin. It is not unusual to find mice in straw Bale Homes, Chelsea Green, Vermont.
bale deliveries. Straw bales attract mice and the T he Australian Straw Bale Building Association
shorter the on-site storage period the better. www.ausbale.org
During construction, tarpaulins or plastic sheets
Principal Author:
should be kept ready for covering otherwise
Paul Downton
unprotected walls. Although it may not be
ideal, if bales do get slightly wet they can often
be dried out sufficiently to be usable. The
moisture content must be below 15 per cent
in the finished structure. Renders should be
carried over any exposed straw areas to keep
out water and vermin and be carried over the
tops of walls so that the potential for drawing air
through the wall in the event of fire (allowing it to
smoulder) is minimised.
Straw bale walls are very resilient and in the
event of damage they can be repaired. Wet
bales can be taken out and replaced and there
is at least one recorded instance in Australia of
a straw bale building that suffered fire damage
after construction being successfully repaired
under insurance.